12:31 BST
Sammy Awami
Reporting from Antananarivo
Image source, AFP via Getty ImagesImage caption,
Soldiers have thrown their weight behind protesters demanding the president’s resignation
A powerful military unit in Madagascar has dismissed President Andry Rajoelina’s claim that they intended
to harm him.
Col Randrianirina Michael of the CAPSAT unit told the BBC the allegations were baseless, saying the army had never had any intention to harm “even a single
hair on his head”.
In a live broadcast to the nation on Facebook, Rajoelina, 51, said “a group of military personnel and politicians planned to assassinate me”, forcing him to go into hiding.
Mass protests began in Madagascar on 25 September over anger with repeated water and power cuts, then escalated to reflect wider dissatisfaction with Rajoelina’s government over high unemployment, corruption and the cost-of-living crisis.
On Saturday, soldiers from CAPSAT left their barracks, and joined protesters, posing a major challenge to Rajoelina’s power.
He responded by saying there was an attempt to seize power illegally in Madagascar.
Rajoelina has not been seen in public since last week, with unconfirmed reports saying he has fled the country.